And there will be even more schemes and money coming their way.
All that they need to do is to turn up and let the officials handle their applications for them. No handling of complex questionnaires for them. It’s just a win-win situation.
Rural affairs and environment minister George Pullicino yesterday explained to the media the various schemes for which farmers may apply. Malta is the first accession country to have these schemes ready for application. The complicated EU formulae have been made simple to handle through work done in the back office by MITS people, who were praised by Commissioner Fischler at a meeting in Bulgaria recently.
Apart from the present scheme, Mr Pullicino said another scheme will be announced in the coming weeks, which will enable farmers to invest in their agricultural holdings, such as to dig a well or build stores.
Further help will come through the SMPPMA, the scheme created to do away with the levies and to compensate farmers as regards prices.
Mr Pullicino was speaking in a section of Ghammieri which until a few weeks ago was derelict stores and which has now been refurbished in record time for use as offices by the officials handling these applications.
As the media trooped in, farmers were already there, sitting next to the officials who were filling out their applications for them.
The Paying Agency, Mr Pullicino added, will soon be set up as well: the last details are being finalised with the company that has been chosen and with an auditing firm.
The schemes
There are 11 schemes in all.
1. Grain, cereals and fodder and subsidies for land left to rest. This ranges from Euro 31.82 per hectare for cereals to Euro 45.25 per hectare for other types of produce.
2. Fruit and vegetables: measured on the amount taken to the vegetable market, ranging from Lm10.42 per ton of fresh vegetables to Lm52.08 per ton for fresh fruit.
3. Tomatoes and fruit for processing: As from 1 May, the subsidy in lieu of the removal of levies will be Lm14.79 per ton, additional help will be Lm12 per ton, and EU subsidies will be Lm43 per ton. This means an average 7c per kilo.
4. Potatoes: Subsidy in lieu of the levies is 4c7 per kilo and additional help is Lm10 per tumulo.
5. Olives: Table olive oil will receive Euro132.50 per 10 kilo.
6. Subsidy for the restoration of rubble walls: Euro20 per square metre.
7. Vines: Three different schemes: for changing over to vine growing (Lm480 per tumolo); vineyard restructuring (must be approved by Brussels); additional help for vine growers (Lm35 per tumolo)
8. Subsidy for national genus: for the oak tree (ballut) and the Maltese bull.
9. Organic farming: Euro 600 per hectare.
10. Disadvantaged zone: Due to lack of rain, lack of soil and the fact that the holdings are small, all of Malta, uniquely, has been approved as a disadvantaged zone. Malta will thus get Euro 6 million, that is around Lm10 a tumolo.
11. Help for full-time farmers.
A copy of a leaflet explaining this in simple Maltese is available from all Agriculture Department outlets and from all local councils. There is also a freephone: 8007 2310.
Applications began being received on 25 March and will continue to be received until 17 May. After that date, applications will still be received until 11 June but latecomers face a “fine” of one per cent cut per day they are late.
Just to give an example of how this may impact on Maltese farmers, a farmer with nine tumoli and three farm animals stands to get Lm668.35 if he has 100 square metres of rubble walls for restructuring.